2002 SUBARU IMPREZA chapter 11

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How to use this owner’s manual
Using your Owner ’s manual
Before you operate your vehicle, carefully read this
manual. To protect yourself and extend the service
life of your vehicle, follow the instructions in this
manual. Failure to observe these instructions may
result in serious injury and damage to your vehicle.
This manual is composed of fourteen chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief table of contents,so you can usually tell at a glance if that chapter
contains the information you want. Chapter 1: Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
This chapter informs you how to use the seat and
seatbelt and contains precautions for the SRS air- bags.Chapter 2: Keys and doors
This chapter informs you how to operate the keys,locks and windows.Chapter 3: Instruments and controls
This chapter informs you about the operation of
instrument panel indicators and how to use theinstruments and other switches.Chapter 4: Climate Control
This chapter informs you how to operate the climate control.Chapter 5: Audio
This chapter informs you how to operate your audiosystem.Chapter 6: Interior equipment
This chapter informs you how to operate interior equipment. Chapter 7: Starting and operating
This chapter informs you how to start and operateyour SUBARU.Chapter 8: Driving tips
This chapter informs you how to drive your SUBARU in various conditions and explains some safety tips on driving.Chapter 9: In case of emergency
This chapter informs you what to do if you have a
problem while driving, such as a flat tire or engineoverheating. Chapter 10: Appearance care
This chapter informs you how to keep your SUBARUlooking good.
Chapter 11: Maintenance and service
This chapter informs you when you need to take
your SUBARU to the dealer for scheduled mainte-
nance and informs you how to keep your SUBARU
running properly.

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Chapter 12: Specifications
This chapter informs you about dimension and ca-pacities of your SUBARU.Chapter 13: Consumer information and Report-ing safety defects
This chapter informs you about Uniform tire quality
grading standards and Reporting safety defects. Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that ’s in this
manual. You can use it to quickly find something you
want to read. Safety warnings
You will find a number of WARNINGs, CAUTIONs and NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to potential hazards
that could result in injury to you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well as all oth-
er portions of this manual carefully in order to gain abetter understanding of how to use your SUBARU
vehicle safely.
WARNING
A WARNING indicates a situation in which se- rious injury or death could result if the warn- ing is ignored.
CAUTION
A CAUTION indicates a situation in which inju-
ry or damage to your vehicle, or both, could result if the caution is ignored.
NOTE A NOTE gives information or suggestions how to
make better use of your vehicle. Safety symbol
HS0008
You will find a circle with a slash through it in this
manual. This symbol means “Do not ”, “Do not do
this” , or “Do not let this happen ”, depending upon
the context.

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Safety precautions when driving Seatbelt and SRS airbag
WARNING
All persons in the vehicle should fasten
their seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to
move. Otherwise, the possibility of serious in-jury becomes greater in the event of a suddenstop or accident. To obtain maximum protection in the event
of an accident, the driver and all passengers in the vehicle should always wear seatbelts when the vehicle is moving. The SRS (Supple-mental Restraint System) airbag does not doaway with the need to fasten seatbelts. Incombination with the seatbelts, it offers thebest combined protection in case of a serious accident. Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chanceof severe injury or death in a crash even whenthe car has the SRS airbag. The SRS airbags deploy with considerable
speed and force. Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Because the SRS airbag needs enough space for de-ployment, the driver should always sit uprightand well back in the seat as far from the steer-ing wheel as practical while still maintainingfull vehicle control and the front passengershould move the seat as far back as possible and sit upright and well back in the seat.
Carefully read the sections “Seatbelts” and “SRS air-
bag” in chapter 1 of this owner ’s manual for instruc-
tions and precautions concerning the seatbelt sys- tem and SRS airbag system. Child safety
WARNING
Never hold a child on your lap or in your
arms while the vehicle is moving. The passen- ger cannot protect the child from injury in a
collision, because the child will be caught be-tween the passenger and objects inside thevehicle. While riding in the vehicle, infants and small
children should always be placed in the REAR seat in an infant or child restraint system which is appropriate for the child ’s age, height

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and weight. If a child is too big for a child re- straint system, the child should sit in the
REAR seat and be restrained using the seat-
belts. According to accident statistics, chil-dren are safer when properly restrained in therear seating positions than in the front seating positions. Never allow a child to stand up or
kneel on the seat.Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all times in a childrestraint device or in a seatbelt. The SRS air-bag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, es-
pecially if they are 12 years of age and underand are not restrained or improperly re-strained. Because children are lighter and
weaker than adults, their risk being injured
from deployment is greater. NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG. Always use the child safety locks whenever
a child rides in the rear seat. Serious injurycould result if a child accidentally opened thedoor and fell out. Refer to the “Child safety locks”
section in chapter 2.
Always lock the passenger ’s windows using
the lock switch when children are riding in the
vehicle. Failure to follow this procedure couldresult in injury to a child operating the power
window. Refer to the “Windows” section in
chapter 2. Never leave unattended children in the ve-
hicle. They could accidentally injure them-
selves or others through inadvertent opera-tion of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny
days, temperature in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause severe or possibly fatal injuries to them. Help prevent young children from locking
themselves in the trunk. When leaving the ve-
hicle, either close all windows and lock alldoors or cancel the inside trunk lid release. Also make certain that the trunk is closed. On hot or sunny days, the temperature in a trunkcould quickly become high enough to cause
death or serious heat-related injuries includ-ing brain damage, particularly for small chil-dren.
Carefully read the sections “Child restraint systems ”,
“ SRS airbag ”, and “Seatbelts” in chapter 1 of this

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Modification of your vehicle
CAUTION
Your vehicle should not be modified. Modifica- tion could affect its performance, safety or
durability, and may even violate governmentalregulations. In addition, damage or perfor-
mance problems resulting from modification may not be covered under warranties.
Car phones and driving
CAUTION
A driver ’s use of a car phone can be distract-
ing and if special care is not taken, can lead to an accident. If you use a car phone while driv-ing, make an extra effort to pay attention to
the road and to traffic at all times. If you can
safely do so, it is best to pull off to the side ofthe road before using your car phone.
Driving with pets
Unrestrained pets can interfere with your driving and
distract your attention from driving. In a collision or
sudden stop, unrestrained pets or cages can be
thrown around inside the vehicle and hurt you or
your passengers. Besides, the pets can be hurt un-der these situations. It is also for their own safety
that pets should be properly restrained in your
vehicle. Restrain a pet with a special traveling har-
ness which can be secured to the rear seat with a
seatbelt or use a pet carrier which can be secured
to the rear seat by routing a seatbelt through the
carrier’ s handle. Never restrain pets or pet carriers
in the front passenger ’s seat. For further information,
consult your veterinarian, local animal protection so-ciety or pet shop.
Tire pressures
Check and, if necessary, adjust the pressure of
each tire (including the spare) at least once a month
and before any long journey.
Check the tire pressure when the tires are cold. Use
a pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to the
values shown on the tire placard. Refer to the “Tires and wheels ” section in chapter 11
for detailed information.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-3
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or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate for
the child’s age, height and weight. Secure ALL
types of child restraint devices (including for-
ward facing child seat) in the REAR seats at alltimes.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD
SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD
BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE
TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning child restraint systems, see the “Child
restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
Fore and aft adjustment
OM-H0031
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to the de-
sired position. Then release the lever and move the
seat back and forth to make sure that it is securely locked into place.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-12
Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is suitable for your
vehicle. See information on “Child restraint systems ”
in this chapter.
Children
If a child is too big for a child restraint system, the
child should sit in the rear seat and be restrained
using the seatbelts. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating posi-tions. Never allow a child to stand up or kneel on theseat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses the face or neck, move the child closer to the belt buckle to
help provide a good shoulder belt fit. Care must be
taken to securely place the lap belt as low as pos-sible on the hips and not on the child ’s waist. If the
shoulder portion of the belt cannot be properly posi-
tioned, a child restraint system should be used. Never place the shoulder belt under the child ’s arm
or behind the child ’s back.
Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the seatbelts.
They should consult their doctor for specific recom-
mendations. The lap belt should be worn securely and as low as possible over the hips, not over thewaist.
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
The driver ’s seatbelt has an Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (ELR).
The emergency locking retractor allows normal
body movement but the retractor locks automatically during a sudden stop, impact or if you pull the belt
very quickly out of the retractor. Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR)
Each passenger ’s seatbelt has an Automatic/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (A/ELR). The Automatic/
Emergency Locking Retractor normally functions asan Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/ELR
has an additional locking mode “Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) mode ” intended to secure a child
restraint system. When the seatbelt is once drawn
out completely and is then retracted even slightly,
the retractor locks the seatbelt in that position and
the seatbelt cannot be extended. As the belt is re-
winding, clicks will be heard which indicate the re-
tractor functions as an ALR. When the seatbelt is re-
tracted fully, the ALR mode is released.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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When securing a child restraint system on the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt, the seatbelt mustbe changed over to the Automatic Locking Retractor(ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is removed, make
sure that the seatbelt retracts fully and the retractor
returned to the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) mode.
For instructions on how to convert the retractor to
the ALR mode and restore it to the ELR mode, seethe “Child restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt warningdevice at the driver ’s seat, as required by current
safety standards.
This device causes the seatbelt warning light on the
instrument panel to light up for about six seconds
when the ignition switch is turned to “ON” to remind
the driver to wear the seatbelt. If the driver ’s seatbelt
is not fastened, a warning chime sounds at thesame time.
Fastening the seatbelt
WARNING
Never use a belt that is twisted or reversed.
In an accident, this can increase the risk or
severity of injury. Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your
hips. In a collision, this spreads the force of the lap belt over stronger hip bones instead ofacross the weaker abdomen. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when
the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the
seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacksshould be always used in the upright position
while the vehicle is running. If the front seat-
backs are not used in the upright position in a
collision, the risk of sliding under the lap belt
and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdo- men will increase, and both can result in seri-ous internal injury or death. Do not put cushions or any other materials
between occupants and seatbacks or seat
cushions. If you do so, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdomen will increase, and both